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Meraki MX vs Sophos XG comparison

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Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Oct 8, 2024
 

Categories and Ranking

Fortinet FortiGate
Sponsored
Average Rating
8.4
Number of Reviews
316
Ranking in other categories
Firewalls (2nd), Software Defined WAN (SD-WAN) Solutions (1st), WAN Edge (1st)
Meraki MX
Average Rating
8.2
Number of Reviews
62
Ranking in other categories
Unified Threat Management (UTM) (2nd)
Sophos XG
Average Rating
8.2
Number of Reviews
196
Ranking in other categories
Firewalls (4th)
 

Featured Reviews

DineshKumar28 - PeerSpot reviewer
Sep 25, 2024
Effective threat prevention with responsive customer support
We are using Fortinet FortiGate as a firewall Fortinet FortiGate has been invaluable. It has helped save costs due to its various features, reliable performance, very good UI, low latency, and stability. The Threat Intel engine in Fortinet FortiGate is highly rated for its effectiveness in…
Spencer Malmad - PeerSpot reviewer
Nov 22, 2022
Very easy to deploy with a simple configuration; stable and scalable with great support
The Cisco supply chain is problematic although that may not be all their fault. What I really want is to be able to sell the solution and deploy it for my clients. They are very cagey about the availability of their product and they definitely take better care of their larger clients, pricing out mid-sized organizations. I'd like their policy rules to be closer to those of some of the other vendors. They're very complacent and I find the rule set to be a little arcane. There's no company ou there that does the combination of hardware quality, reliability of service, and most importantly, the quality of the interface.
Akshay Y P - PeerSpot reviewer
Feb 20, 2024
Has good technical support services, but the GUI needs enhancement
The product’s new variant allows for faster processing of data packets from LAN to WAN, surpassing the capabilities of an 8G firewall. It provides threat prevention features, including WAF, IPS, and AV. We have configured SSL VPN capabilities for different branches, which have been working efficiently. For our minimalistic usage, it has been performing well in transferring data from on-premise devices. It helps us generate detailed reports on the dashboard. The product’s integration with Sophos Central enhances security architecture by enabling centralized management under a single dashboard. We recommend Sophos XG as a priority as it is much more reliable and has efficient technical assistance. It is much easier for configuration, web filtering, or web extension than one of its competitors. I rate it a seven out of ten.

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Pros

"The solution can scale well."
"The SD-WAN feature is the most valuable. This feature evolved from link load balancing. It has helped us in terms of our uptime and privatizing applications whenever we experience an outage. The SD-WAN feature has been a plus for us. Two-factor authentication has allowed us to add more users in terms of remote working. We have two-factor authentication for remote workers to authenticate them before they get on the network."
"The most important feature, normally for small business customers, is link load balancing."
"FortiGate's ability to perform as expected and fulfil our needs has been the most compelling feature for network security."
"The next-generation firewall is great."
"The most valuable features of Fortinet FortiGate are it is one of the most mature firewalls in the UTM bundle."
"Fortinet FortiGate is easy to use. Anyone can easily maintain it."
"FortiGate is on the cheaper end, and it offers good value."
"In general, Meraki MX is easy to work with."
"It is a robust SD-WAN solution."
"Very easy to use and navigate."
"The security level of our organization has changed by using Meraki MX Firewalls. We didn't have the UTM before, but now we have sandboxing, tray scanning, attack preventions and monitorization. Our security level has improved."
"Both the scalability and the scalability are great with Meraki MX."
"We work also with domain control (DC) from Microsoft or Amazon. We use a whole virtual appliance with Meraki."
"Managed centrally over the web: You can manages all your Meraki devices in a single account."
"The product is quite secure, easy to manage, and well-connected with other devices."
"The firewall provides network visibility and reporting capabilities, constantly improving over time. It can be integrated with the cloud console, allowing centralized management of multiple firewalls. integration with endpoint security products ensures seamless traffic flow and rule enforcement, even when endpoints are not directly connected to the firewall."
"it's user-friendly, not complex."
"It is stable, flexible, and easy to use. It has got a web management portal that can be accessed from anywhere."
"We created and configured a VPN for connecting our remote sites and also to make it more secure and reliable. We also like its two-factor authentication features."
"It's a complete firewall solution that has everything."
"The filtering is very easy to do. You can segment and create profiles for usage very easily."
"I've tried out Sophos XG a little. It has a good interface that's very user-friendly, but I haven't used all of its functions because I'm only configuring and running the system."
"The solution is more cost-effective than FortiGate, Cisco and Palo Alto, which have very expensive licenses."
 

Cons

"We would like to see a better training platform implemented."
"They sometimes hide some features and if you want to enable them, you have to go in the CLI, enable the feature and configure it through the CLI. Customers, typically, like everything to be done by the GUI."
"The solution could be more evenly structured."
"Its reporting capabilities can be improved. It should have some out-of-the-box reporting capabilities and some degree of customization. The basic reporting that it currently has is not sufficient to create more usable reports. It needs some sort of out-of-the-box reporting. They try to make customers purchase FortiAnalyzer for this kind of reporting, which is an additional cost. Other firewall vendors, such as SonicWall and Sophos, provide this sort of reporting without any additional cost."
"Application management can be improved."
"There are some cloud-based features that could be much more flexible than they currently are."
"I need user-behavior analytics, to find threat scenarios from inside the organization, insider attacks. That would be very helpful for us. In addition, I would like next-generation features for small and medium businesses. These businesses require UTM, all in one product. Fortinet must include it."
"Price, of course, can always be more competitive or better."
"Meraki has some hidden features and information that is only privy to their engineers. If that information became available to us, then it would improve our ease of management, and we would be able to make certain adjustments instead of having to go to them."
"When it comes to cost, that's a pain point."
"From the improvement perspective, we need more monitoring capabilities. We want to have full-based access visibility, such as, what is happening when something is trying to reach and it is denying. We cannot see some parts of it. The integration of active directory with this product is not very fruitful. It has some bugs or lacks in the functionality of active directory integration. We are unable to identify where exactly and whether it has really applied our policy."
"More detail needed for configuration of the VPN."
"I do not have the kind of feature I need for SSL decryption in Meraki MX. It would be great to see the SSL decryption feature in Meraki MX."
"Meraki tech support staff have a lot more visibility into your network than you do, which is frustrating at times. I understand the approach is to keep the dashboard easier to understand. This will frustrate more advanced users at times.​"
"Load balancing options and ability to manage a couple of Internet connections."
"Meraki MX can come across as an expensive solution."
"Technical support can be slow to respond, which is something that should be improved."
"The time taken by Sophos XG's support team to respond to and resolve an issue is an area of concern where improvements are required."
"Its user interface is a little bit slow."
"The SD-WAN could be improved."
"It is a very basic and entry-level firewall. It doesn't give very granular control over the traffic. It should have more granular control over the traffic. This feature should be there similar to Palo Alto and Cisco. It should have such advanced features."
"In Sophos XG, the throughput for larger networks is an area of concern where improvements are required."
"While it is a secure solution, I believe it could be improved."
"There could be some room for improvement in its pricing since my clients usually feel like the product is on the expensive side."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The price of the license and warranty can be better because it is very expensive."
"There is a subscription-based model to use Fortinet FortiGate. We pay annually for the solution along with the support. If you want to have all the updates, and security patches you will need to renew your support."
"Its price is normal. If I compare it with other vendors, such as Palo Alto, it's normal. Palo Alto is expensive."
"The license of Fortinet FortiGate should be reduced."
"The pricing is justified. It's a little pricey, but what you pay for is what you get."
"The pricing for this solution is good."
"On a scale of one being cheap and ten being expensive, I rate the tool's price as an eight."
"The price of Fortinet FortiGate could improve, it is expensive."
"The product is a little expensive."
"​Other content filtering solutions that I have used had more bells and whistles, but given the cost, complexity, and management overhead, I am very pleased with Meraki’s solution."
"Meraki MX's pricing is cheaper as compared to Cisco's standalone products."
"The price varies depending on the hardware platform as well as the type of license and whether you're adding security or not."
"Meraki MX is an expensive solution."
"The price could be lower, but compared to the TCO of other products, it's not really that expensive."
"The license cost depends on the box. We acquired a different product line. We are dealing with MX appliance now, that is, MX6, MX54, MX100, MX250, MX450. Every box has got an identity, and it has got its own specification. Every box has got a different license fee. We deployed Meraki MX in UAE when it was not a mature product. We took a risk, but we were successful. We saved a huge amount of money after implementing and removing all the MPLS and leased lines. We got a broadband connection because Meraki MX could work on a broadband connection. We have drastically saved a very good amount of money, which was one of the successful things apart from the successful solution."
"The product’s pricing depends on the discount Cisco gives to different people."
"It's a suitable price and license."
"We generally buy it for a three-year license."
"Over the last two years of the COVID-19 crises, most users required an SSL VPN license, something for which SonicWall charges but which Sophos offers for free."
"They have different options for the license."
"Its price is fair. It is cheaper and way better than others."
"The product is more expensive than one of its competitors."
"It is not that expensive compared to the other solutions. It is about the same price range as Fortigate, which we used previously. Licensing is on a yearly basis."
"Support costs are approximately 50 percent."
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Answers from the Community

NC
Nov 24, 2021
Nov 24, 2021
Meraki is designed for zero deployments and no in-house firewall specialist personnel. Best to secure Networks like remote offices, branches or home offices. Also to protect Internet Access (your computer accesses the internet). Sophos is more of a professional firewall, not only protecting internet access but also providing security for publishing services like web servers, data centers, cent...
2 out of 3 answers
GC
Nov 23, 2021
Cisco mx64, for example, has 2 WANs, is very practical and simple for the two services, has a balancing for two internet services and bandwidth control (by groups and users).
LL
Nov 23, 2021
Meraki MX is a small business product and lacks a lot of features compared to Sophos XG/XGS. - IPsec IKEv2 does not work (it is in the menu, but does not work and can only be enabled by meraki support) - no SSLVPN or IPsec VPN client. AnyConnect can only be tested with beta firmware.  Cisco Client VPN (L2TP) is a total joke - not sure for who it is meant for? - no user based firewall rules (for VPN) - no firewall rule grouping - no masquerade option for DNAT (sometimes it is very useful if I can do a DNAT with masquerade to another subnet) - no VLAN tagging support on WAN port (would be usable for IPTV - solvable if WAN is bypassed through a managed switch) - no multiple IP support on WAN port (Sophos has alias support on every interface, which means that multiple IP addresses can be added on the same LAN or WAN port) - no LAG or LACP support (would be usable to connect aggregation switch to firewall to bypass more traffic through the MX) - no DAC cable support for SFP port (why I do have to use optical cable to connect aswitch?) - no custom IPS policies - only on/off button - no e-mail protection option (Sophos has it with extra license) - no web server protection (Sophos has it with extra license) - no sandstorm option (most firewalls have it with extra license) - hardware may probably too weak compared to the user count - no BGP, OSPF routing - no multiple VPN user groups and LDAP servers
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Educational Organization
22%
Computer Software Company
15%
Manufacturing Company
6%
Comms Service Provider
6%
Educational Organization
26%
Computer Software Company
15%
Manufacturing Company
5%
Government
4%
Computer Software Company
17%
Comms Service Provider
8%
Manufacturing Company
7%
Government
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

Which is the better NGFW: Fortinet Fortigate or Cisco Firepower?
When you compare these firewalls you can identify them with different features, advantages, practices and usage a...
What is the biggest difference between Sophos XG and FortiGate?
From my experience regarding both the Sophos and FortiGate firewalls, I personally would rather use FortiGate. I know...
What are the biggest technical differences between Sophos UTM and Fortinet FortiGate?
As a solution, Sophos UTM offers a lot of functionality, it scales well, and the stability and performance are quite ...
Fortigate 60d vs. Meraki MX67 for a small company without a dedicated IT Department
We have Meraki Mx devices now, we are looking to replace them. But that is because the Meraki MX platform lacks SSL I...
Which is better - Meraki MX or Cisco ASA Firewall?
Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) software is the operating software for the Cisco ASA suite. It supports netw...
What do you like most about Meraki MX?
I am happy with the technical support for the solution. I rate the technical support a ten out of ten.
Which is better - Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls or Sophos XG?
Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls have both great features and performance. I like that Palo Alto has regular threat si...
What are the main differences in features between Sophos XG and FortiGate 80F?
Hi Arvind P , The Sophos XG firewall has a number of models right from XG86 to XG135w under the 1U Desktop Form Fact...
What Is The Biggest Difference Between Sophos UTM and Sophos XG?
The Sophos UTM is a UTM and Sophos XG is the NGFW. First, you must know about the difference between a UTM and NGFW. ...
 

Also Known As

FortiGate 60b, FortiGate 60c, FortiGate 80c, FortiGate 50b, FortiGate 200b, FortiGate 110c, FortiGate
MX64, MX64W, MX84, MX100, MX400, MX600
No data available
 

Learn More

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Overview

 

Sample Customers

Amazon Web Services, Microsoft, IBM, Cisco, Dell, HP, Oracle, Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint, Vodafone, Orange, BT Group, Telstra, Deutsche Telekom, Comcast, Time Warner Cable, CenturyLink, NTT Communications, Tata Communications, SoftBank, China Mobile, Singtel, Telus, Rogers Communications, Bell Canada, Telkom Indonesia, Telkom South Africa, Telmex, Telia Company, Telkom Kenya
Hyatt, ONS
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Find out what your peers are saying about Meraki MX vs. Sophos XG and other solutions. Updated: October 2024.
814,763 professionals have used our research since 2012.